Land-Use Suitability in Northeast Iran: Application of AHP-GIS Hybrid Model

Land-use suitability is the ability of a given type of land to support a defined use. Analysis of land-use suitability requires the consideration of a variety of criteria, not only the natural/physical capacity of a land unit, but also its socioeconomic and environmental impact implications. As land...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ISPRS international journal of geo-information 2017-12, Vol.6 (12), p.396
Main Authors: Memarbashi, Elnaz, Azadi, Hossein, Barati, Ali, Mohajeri, Fatemeh, Passel, Steven, Witlox, Frank
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land uses
Agricultural practices
Agriculture & agronomie
Agriculture & agronomy
AHP-GIS hybrid method
Analytic hierarchy process
Capacity
Decision making
Environmental impact
Geographic information systems
Geographical information systems
Grassland uses
Grasslands
Information systems
Land suitability
Land use
Life sciences
Multiple criterion
Remote sensing
Sangab Plain
Satellite navigation systems
Sciences du vivant
Socioeconomic factors
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Summary:Land-use suitability is the ability of a given type of land to support a defined use. Analysis of land-use suitability requires the consideration of a variety of criteria, not only the natural/physical capacity of a land unit, but also its socioeconomic and environmental impact implications. As land suitability is assessed within a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, it is formulated as a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. The study was conducted in the Sangab Plain in northeast Iran. We investigated the study area’s suitability for grassland and agricultural uses. A hybrid method of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and GIS methodology was applied to evaluate land suitability based on a set of criteria and sub-criteria. Results showed that 20% of the study area had high (rich), 65% had medium (fair), and 15% had low (poor) suitability for agriculture. In terms of grassland use, the comparable amounts were, respectively, about 7%, 23%, and 70%. The lands of the Sangab Plain have medium potential for agricultural use and low potential for grassland use. This paper used both qualitative and quantitative techniques.
ISSN:2220-9964
2220-9964
DOI:10.3390/ijgi6120396